Balanced Capacitor Power Converter

ABSTRACT

A power device may have at least two capacitors in series with each other and in parallel with a DC power source. The power device may have at least a first converter that has at least a controller configured to balance a voltage of the at least two capacitors. The power device may have at least a second converter connected to the at least two capacitors. The second converter may have at least three input conductors, each connected to a terminal of the at least two capacitors. The second converter may have at least two output conductors. The second converter may have at least a switching circuit between the at least three input conductors and at least two output conductors. The second converter may have at least a controller configured to operate the switching circuit. The second converter may passively preserve the voltage balance between the at least two capacitors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/729,543, filed Dec. 30, 3019, which claims priority to U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/786,723, filed Dec. 31, 2018,each hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to the field of electronics.

Power converters typically have an auxiliary (AUX) power supply forproviding power to the electronics that control the converters, such aspower to a controller, switches, communication circuits, and/or thelike. The AUX power supply or converter, such as a buck or flybackdirect current to direct current (DC/DC) power converter, may be able toaccept a high input voltage, such as between 250 and 1000 volts DC(VDC). For example, a flyback topology may be used for generatingauxiliary power to a high-voltage converter, such as used in solarinverter circuits. For example, an auxiliary power supply feeds aninverter in a solar power generation system, and the inverter convertsthe solar power from a string of photovoltaic panels (such as a 600 VDCinput) into alternating current (AC) power supplied to a home or ted into an electrical grid (such as 240 VAC).

SUMMARY

The following is a short summary of some of the inventive conceptsdescribed herein, is presented for illustrative purposes only and not asan extensive overview, and is not intended to identify key or criticalelements or to limit or constrain the features described in the detaileddescription.

Aspects disclosed herein are directed to devices and methods for a powerdiverting topology that draws power from balanced capacitors. The powermay be drawn without affecting the energy balance between thecapacitors. The topology may include, for example, direct-current (DC)link capacitors used in a neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter topology,three-stage NPC inverter topologies, multi-stage NPC invertertopologies, and/or the like. Some of the devices and/or methods mayinclude using a topology of two or more diodes and/or two or moreswitches to intrinsically draw power from a balanced, multiple-capacitorconverter design without disrupting the charge balance across thecapacitors, such as when using an open-loop control. A switching circuitfor providing auxiliary (AUX) power may be connected to the balancedcapacitors, potentially allowing the capacitor balance to not bedisrupted by the additional power drawn from the capacitors. Anadditional switch may be used to draw power from both series-connectedcapacitors under certain conditions, such as when the voltage across thecapacitors is low.

In accordance with further aspects as disclosed herein, a power deviceis disclosed that may comprise a plurality of capacitors that areconnected in series with each other and in parallel with a directcurrent (DC) power source; a first converter comprising a controllerconfigured to balance voltages across each of the plurality ofcapacitors; and a second converter connected to terminals of theplurality of capacitors and configured to generate an output voltagebased on the voltages across the capacitors. The first converter may beconfigured to actively balance (e.g., strongly preserve the balances of)the voltages across the at least two capacitors, and the secondconverter may be configured to passively (e.g., weakly) preserve thevoltage balance between the plurality of capacitors.

The second converter may comprise (a) at least three input conductors,each connected to a terminal of one of the plurality of capacitors, (b)at least two output conductors, each connected to the output voltage,(c) a switching circuit connected between the at least three inputconductors and at least two output conductors, and (d) a controllerconfigured to operate the switching circuit. The controller may beconfigured to operate the switching circuit with an open-loop controloperating at a particular frequency, such as at a frequency of less than10,000 hertz. The switching circuit may comprise at least two switchesconfigured to alternate between electrically connecting in turn each ofthe plurality of capacitors to the two output conductors. The switchingcircuit may comprise at least two diodes or switches to direct a currentfrom at least one of the plurality of capacitors to the at least twooutput conductors.

The at least three input conductors may comprise a low voltageconductor, a high voltage conductor, and a mid-voltage conductor. The atleast two diodes may comprise a first diode and a second diode, eachcomprising an anode terminal and a cathode terminal, and wherein the atleast two switches comprise a first switch and a second switch, eachswitch comprising a source terminal and a drain terminal, and wherein:(a) the source terminal of the first switch is connected to the lowvoltage conductor, (b) the anode terminal of the first diode isconnected to the drain terminal of the first switch, (c) the cathodeterminal of the first diode and the anode terminal of the second diodeare connected to the neutral point conductor, (d) the cathode terminalof the second diode is connected to the source terminal of the secondswitch, and (e) the drain terminal of the second switch is the highvoltage conductor. The at least two diodes may comprise, for example,four diodes in a diode bridge configuration, the diode bridgeconfiguration comprising an anode terminal, a cathode terminal, and twoalternating current terminals, wherein the at least two switchescomprise a first switch and a second switch, each switch comprising asource terminal and a drain terminal, and wherein: (a) the sourceterminal of the first switch is connected to the low voltage conductor,(b) the anode terminal of the diode bridge configuration is connected tothe high output voltage conductor, (c) the cathode terminal of the diodebridge configuration is connected to the low output voltage terminal,(d) the drain terminal of the first switch is connected to the sourceterminal of the second switch and a first alternating current terminalof the diode bridge configuration, (e) the second alternating currentterminal of the diode bridge configuration is connected to the neutralpoint conductor, and (f) the drain terminal of the second switch is thehigh voltage conductor. Alternatively, the diode bridge configurationmay comprise an anode terminal, a cathode terminal, and two alternatingcurrent terminals, wherein the at least two switches comprise a firstswitch, a second switch, and a third switch, each switch comprising asource terminal and a drain terminal, and wherein the source of thethird switch is connected to the low voltage conductor, and wherein thedrain of the third switch is connected to the cathode terminal of thediode bridge configuration.

The switching circuit may be configured to switch the terminals of theplurality of capacitors between a plurality of DC to DC power supplies,each of the DC to DC power supplies configured to provide a voltage anda current to the first converter, and the switching circuit may beconfigured to preserve the balance between the voltages across theplurality of capacitors. The plurality of capacitors may comprise, forexample, three capacitors, the at least three input conductors maycomprise, for example, four input conductors, and the switching circuitmay comprise, for example, four diodes and four switches (such as inFIG. 2A).

Moreover, the plurality of capacitors may comprise a plurality ofDC-link capacitors. Each of the plurality of capacitors may comprise acapacitor bank.

Further aspects as described herein are directed to a method (such as amethod for operating the power device described herein) that comprisesbalancing, by a controller of a first converter (e.g., of the powerdevice), voltages across each of a plurality of capacitors (e.g., of thepower device) that are connected in series with each other and that areconnected in parallel with a direct current (DC) power source; andgenerating, by a second converter (e.g., of the power device) connectedto terminals of the plurality of capacitors, an output voltage based onthe voltages across the plurality of capacitors. All of the abovesummaries of the various possible aspects of the power device likewiseapply to the method.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, claims, and drawings. The present disclosure is illustratedby way of example, and not limited by, the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an example power device with N balancedcapacitors and a switching circuit, according to illustrative aspects ofthe disclosure.

FIGS. 2A-2G show circuit diagrams of example switching circuits forthree balanced capacitors, according to illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 3A-3C show circuit diagrams of example switching circuits forbalanced capacitors, according to illustrative aspects of thedisclosure, according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-4C show circuit diagrams of example switching circuits forbalanced capacitors, according to illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5C show circuit diagrams of example switching circuits forbalanced capacitors, according to illustrative aspects of thedisclosure.

FIG. 6A shows a circuit diagram of an example switching circuit for dualauxiliary power converters connected to balanced capacitors, accordingto illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6B shows circuit diagrams of example switching circuits forbalanced capacitors and a flyback converter, with and without combining,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6C shows circuit diagrams of example switching circuits forbalanced capacitors combined with a buck converter, according toillustrative aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows schematically an example system for power generationcomprising a switching circuit connected to converter-balancedcapacitors, according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, show examples ofthe disclosure. It is to be understood that the examples shown in thedrawings and/or discussed herein are non-exclusive and that there areother examples of how the disclosure may be practiced.

Disclosed herein are examples of features for devices, methods, andsystems that may be used for drawing power from a connected series ofbalanced capacitors. These examples may draw the power whileintrinsically preserving the capacitor balance (such as preserving asubstantially equal voltage drop across each capacitor). A powerconverter may use the series of balanced capacitors that may each storeenergy at a voltage differential that is a fraction of an input voltagevalue. For example, a series of n balanced capacitors (for instance,input capacitors) may be connected in series to an input voltage andeach capacitor may carry a voltage of one n-th of the input voltage. Thepower converter may, for example, use direct current (DC)-link capacitorvoltages to create an alternating current (AC) output voltage, and inturn may have a balancing circuit that may actively balance the voltagesacross each of the n capacitors. A switching circuit as disclosedherein, connected in parallel with the n balanced capacitors, mayconnect to one or more of the capacitors in turn, and may allowintrinsically drawing auxiliary power from the balanced capacitorswithout substantially affecting the capacitor voltage balance.

The disclosed switching circuits may not draw power from one of theinput capacitors, when that capacitor has a lower voltage than theothers. For example, when there is an in-balance across the inputcapacitors, a switching circuit may skip the lower voltage capacitors(those capacitors having lower voltages across them) and draw currentfrom the higher voltage ones (those capacitors having higher voltagesacross them). This is in contrast to a capacitor balancing circuit thatmay actively balance the capacitors by moving charge from the highvoltage capacitors to the low voltage capacitors. The switching circuitmay be similar to a voltage preserving circuit that does not draw powerfrom the low voltage capacitors. The switching circuit may be a passivecircuit that, for example, does not move charge from one capacitor tothe other and that does not draw power (naturally, intrinsically,by-design, and/or the like) from lower voltage capacitors when thevoltage across the capacitors is different. A capacitor balancingcircuit may be active or passive and adjusts the voltage to match acrosscapacitors (such as by moving charge from one to another).

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 , which shows a block diagram of anexample power device 100 with n balanced capacitors C1-Cn and aswitching circuit 110, according to illustrative aspects of thedisclosure. Capacitors C1, C2, C3, C4, through Cn may be connected inseries across a DC input voltage between terminals Vi+ and Vi. Ahigh-voltage power converter 120 may be connected to each terminal ofthe capacitors C1-Cn, and an capacitor balancing circuit 126 of powerconverter 120 may actively balance the voltage across these capacitorsC1-Cn, such as by using clamping diodes and/or the like. A switchingcircuit 110 may be connected in parallel with the terminals ofcapacitors C1-Cn. Switching circuit 110 may be, or may be part of, anauxiliary power supply of power device 100. Switching circuit 110 may beconfigured to provide a connection between a subset of the capacitorsC1-Cn to an output voltage provided across terminals terminal Vs+ andterminal Vs−, for positive and negative terminals respectively.

The subset of the capacitors C1-Cn (such as the one or more capacitorsselected as part of the subset), may be determined by switching circuit110, and may be dynamically changed over time. An output capacitor Cs,connected across the output terminals Vs+ and Vs− of switching circuit110, may assist in providing power to a switch controller 124, such asby supplying an input voltage to an Auxiliary DC-DC converter 112 thatregulates power to an auxiliary input voltage denoted Vaux, directlyfrom Vs+ and Vs− to Vaux (such as when Vaux has a wide input range),and/or the like. As will be explained below, switching circuit 110 mayselectively connect output capacitor Cs to one or more of capacitorsC1-Cn. Switch controller 124, such as a circuit including a processorand switch drivers, may operate power (such as high voltage (“HV”), forexample) switches that operate power converter 120 to produce an outputvoltage of power converter 120, denoted Vout, across a pair of outputterminals. Switching circuit 110 may be configured such that the voltagebalance across the balanced capacitors C1-Cn is intrinsically preserved,allowing for an open-loop control method to be used with a low frequencyswitching rate.

Switching circuit 110 and Auxiliary DC-DC converter 112 may be combinedinto a single circuit 114 by using a feedback control for operating theswitches of switching circuit 110. For example, a voltage feedbackcircuit may be used to provide a closed loop control to the switches ofthe switching circuit. For example, a buck converter may be incorporatedinto the switching circuit by coupling a switching circuit controllerthat may sense the output voltage Vaux (such as through an optocoupler,sensor, or the like), and selectively open and close the switches of theswitching circuit to maintain a regulated voltage, Vaux, on the output.The inductor of Auxiliary DC-DC converter 112 may be incorporated intothe switching circuit, and a controller configured to regulate theoutput voltage by controlling the switches. For example, a serialinductor Z may be used between switching circuit output Vs⁺(or Vs⁻)prior to the positive (or negative) terminal of the output capacitor Cs,thereby incorporating a buck converter into the switching circuit.Similarly, a flyback converter may be implemented in the switchingcircuit and thus Auxiliary DC-DC converter 112 may not be omitted as theswitching circuit may directly output Vaux to Switch controller 124.

For example, switching circuit 110 may be configured to draw power fromthose of the capacitors C1-Cn having a higher voltage when a voltageimbalance exists amongst the capacitors C1-Cn, thereby assistingcapacitor balancing circuit 126 rather than hindering the activity ofthe capacitor balancing circuit 126. As used herein, the input voltage,such as the voltage difference between terminals Vi+ and Vi−, is denotedVi. As used herein, the switching circuit output voltage, such as thevoltage difference between terminals Vs+ and Vs−, is denoted Vs.

A balancing circuit for the serially-connected capacitors may be, forexample, a dedicated circuit that may actively regulate the capacitorvoltages so that they are of substantially equal voltage during normaloperation, such as by using circuits combined with closed loop voltageclamping techniques. For example, clamping bridges based on transistorsand resistors may be used. A clamping bridge control may balance the DCinput voltages of each capacitor using a space vector realization, suchas by using redundant switching states of a converter. A carrier-basedpulse width modulation (PWM) scheme may be used, such as a zero sequencevoltage signal added to the modulation signals, and/or the like. Whenusing a Direct Torque Control technique, the differences of thecapacitor voltages may be measured and a lookup table used to correctthe voltage imbalance. When using predictive control based on a costfunction, the balance of the capacitor voltages may be achieved simplyby adding an additional term to the cost function, such as thepredictive values for the capacitor voltages and a weighting factor. Thevoltage imbalance may be solved by using a back-to-backrectifier/inverter system and proper voltage balancing control.

Potential benefits of using a switching circuit (such as switchingcircuit 110) for AUX power may include obtaining a more efficient AUXpower converter (such as from an AUX converter downstream), enabling useof open-loop control, efficient switching rates, robust operation in useof dead time, and/or the like. For example, by using a reduced voltageacross the selected subset of the capacitors C1-Cn to generate voltageVs, the auxiliary power supply (which may include switching circuit 110)of a high voltage power converter (such as power device 100) maycomprise switches of a lower voltage rating. A lower voltage ratinginput switch may have a lower conduction resistance for the same currentrating, and thus may be more efficient during power conversion. Forexample, by implementing switching circuit 110 for generating the AUXpower (such as the Vaux voltage differential), the auxiliary powersupply (such as switching circuit 110, a larger circuit includingswitching circuit 110, and/or the like) may be designed for a lowerdynamic input voltage range. The lower input voltage range mayfacilitate a simpler and more efficient power conversion, because thevariation of the duty cycle may be narrower, and PWM pulses may bewider. For example, a flyback auxiliary power supply designed to receivean input voltage between 200 VDC and 1000 VDC may be less efficient andmore complex compared to a power supply designed for a narrower inputvoltage range of 200 V to 500 V. A wide input voltage range may meanthat an AUX power supply uses a switch-mode converter topology designedfor a wider dynamic duty cycle range. For example, at the high voltageend of the voltage range and at low power load, the operation of an AUXpower supply may result in a duty cycle too small to achieve effectivepulse widths for controlling the main power semiconductor switch at highfrequency conversion, which may result in a low efficiency conversion.

In another example, power device 100 may include a pair of capacitors(thus, capacitors C1-Cn, where n=2) of a neutral point clamped (NPC)inverter comprising a first capacitor (such as C1) connected between alow-potential input terminal and a mid-voltage point, and a secondcapacitor (such as C2) connected between the mid-point potential and ahigh-potential input terminal. As used herein, the term mid-voltagemeans a voltage of any middle terminal of two or more series connectedcomponents, where the middle terminal is not at the high or low extremesand may or may not be exactly at a middle location in the series, andmay also be referred to as a mid-potential point, a mid-point voltage, amid-point potential, or the like. Examples of this configuration aredescribed below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C, 4A-4C, 5A-5C, and 6 .During normal operation of power device 100, the voltages across thebalanced capacitor terminals may be actively maintained to be equalbetween the two capacitors, such as by another circuit for monitoringthe balance and forcing the voltage across the capacitors to besubstantially equivalent. Each of the first and/or second capacitors C1and/or C2 may be implemented as a capacitor bank comprising more thanone capacitor connected in series and/or in parallel in each bank. Aswitching circuit, such as switching circuit 110, may be connected inparallel to both capacitors C1 and C2 using, for example, two or moreswitches and two or more diodes. The switching circuit 110 may beconfigured to connect, in turn, the auxiliary power input voltage Vauxto the second capacitor C2 or the first capacitor C1 while naturally(such as intrinsically) preserving the balance across the capacitors.The switching circuit allows connecting a second power converter to thecapacitors without disrupting the balancing of the capacitors.

Following are practical examples of some applications of switchingcircuits 110 in power generation systems. Solar energy inverters are anapplication of power converters where the DC input voltages may be high(such as hundreds of volts or above 1000 volts), and many inverterdesigns may comprise two or more groups of balanced capacitors, wherethe groups are balanced between them in voltage or charge. Capacitorsmay be used at the input of power converters, where each capacitor mayprovide an energy reservoir to alternately pass energy to the powerconverter and be recharged by an input power source. The use of balancedcapacitors may allow generation of both positive and negative currentflows, such as generation of symmetrical AC from a DC current source, tothe output, while a center connection point of the capacitors may serveas a reference point. Balancing the capacitors may provide symmetricaloperation during both positive and negative current flows and may resultin better magnetic component utilization (for example allowing smallermagnetics may be used), since the voltage and/or current stress acrossthe components may be symmetrical.

When the input voltage is high, such as higher than 500 V, certain DC/DCconverter topologies may be limited by low efficiency and a limited dutycycle, such as a small duty cycle. Other power converters may use two ormore stages to reduce the voltage efficiently, for example, a firststage to reduce the voltage from 500 volts DC (VDC) to 100 VDC, and asecond stage to reduce the voltage from 100 VDC to 12 VDC, such as foroperating a controller circuit of the high-voltage converter. Forexample, a buck DC/DC converter may reduce an input voltage from 1000VDC to 500 VDC, and a second stage flyback DC/DC converter may reducethe input voltage from 500 VDC to 250 VDC. Two-stage convertertopologies may have an increased component count and a reducedefficiency relative to one stage.

For example, power devices for solar systems may be neutral pointclamped (NPC) configuration inverters, flying capacitor inverters, orother topologies of multilevel or two-level inverters. These examplesmay be used for converting a 500 to 2000 VDC input power from strings ofphotovoltaic panels to a 240 volt alternating current (VAC) output. Forexample, an input voltage of up to 1000 VDC may be used to supply aninverter for 3-phase 220 VAC output. The inverters may comprise ancapacitor balancing circuit to ensure that the two capacitors C1 and C2are balanced. For example, an VAC output may be between 90 and 260 voltsAC.

When a voltage across a first capacitor of the capacitors C1-Cn is lowerthan the voltage across a second capacitor of the capacitors C1-Cn bymore than a threshold (such as when a difference between the voltagesacross those respective capacitors exceeds the threshold), such asdetermined by the diodes' forward voltage, switching circuit 110 mayintrinsically prevent drawing current from the first capacitor. As anexample, when the first capacitor has a first voltage V1 across it, andthe second capacitor has a second voltage V2>V1 across it, switchingcircuit 110 may prevent drawing current from the first capacitor whenthe difference between V2 and V1 is greater than the threshold. Theswitching circuit 110 may, for example, replace the first stage of atwo-stage voltage converter, which may increase efficiency, reliability,and cost-effectiveness. Thus the switching circuit 110 may naturally(such as passively—without active control or effort) preserve thevoltage balance across the capacitors C1-Cn. In this manner, a secondconverter, one or more other switching circuits, and/or the like, may beconnected in parallel to the capacitors C1-Cn, and the combinedoperation of all connected switching circuits may passively preserve thebalance across the capacitors by drawing power from the capacitor(s)with the higher voltage(s).

For example, one of the capacitors C1-Cn (a “first” capacitor) may havea voltage of 550 VDC, and another of the capacitors C1-Cn (a “second”capacitor) may have a voltage of 525 VDC. When the switching circuit 110connects the output capacitor Cs to the first capacitor in this example,the output capacitor Cs may be charged to a slightly lower voltage, suchas due to charge balancing between the capacitors, for example 545 VDC,possibly reducing the first capacitor voltage to the same 545 VDC. Whenthe switching circuit connects the output capacitor (at 545 VDC) to thesecond capacitor at 525 VDC, then no current will flow from the secondcapacitor to the output capacitor Cs. In this manner, during eachswitching cycle, the first capacitor voltage may decrease when connectedto Cs by, for example, about 4 VDC (or by any other similar amount,depending on the capacitance values and voltages, such as anasymptotically decreasing value) until the first and second capacitorsare balanced.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2A, which shows a circuit diagram of anexample switching circuit 200 for three balanced capacitors, accordingto illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Switching circuit 200 may bean example implementation of switching circuit 110 (FIG. 1 ). CapacitorsC1, C2 and C3 (which may be an example of capacitors C1-Cn of FIG. 1 ,where n=3 in this example) may be connected in series to a DC voltagesource Vi (between terminals Vi+ and Vi−), and the four terminals of theseries connection (the two terminals of capacitor C1 and the twoterminals of capacitor C3, with capacitor C2 connected between capacitorC1 and capacitor C3) are connected to a power converter (not shown) thatmay actively balance the voltages across each of capacitors C1, C2 andC3. In parallel to the power converter, switching circuit 200 may beconnected to the series-connected capacitor terminals, and may presentan output voltage Vs across terminals Vs+ and Vs− (which may be the sameas terminals Vs+ and Vs− in FIG. 1 ). The switching circuit 200 mayinclude switches S1, S2, S3, and S4 that, depending on their relativestates, provide various configurations, for connecting to the outputterminals Vs+ and Vs−, either one, two or all three of the voltagesacross the serially-connected capacitors C1, C2, and/or C3. Switchingcircuit 200 as shown herein comprises four diodes D1, D2, D3, and D4 andfour switches S1, S2, S32, and S4. Diodes D1, D2, D3, and D4 may each bereplaced with switches controlled to be ON when conduction is desired.An impedance Z (which may be the impedance of one or more componentseach having an impedance) and output capacitor Cs may be included incircuit 200 to assist in the stabilizing output voltage Vo.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2B, which shows an example current flowfor a particular switching configuration of switching circuit 200, withS1 closed (such as in a conducting state) and the other switches S2-S4open (such as in a non-conducting state), according to illustrativeaspects of the disclosure. Dashed lines indicate the current flow.Closing switch S1 electrically connects terminal Vi+ to terminal Vs+,and a return path for the current is from terminal Vs− to the terminalcommon between capacitors C1 and C2, such that the voltage of capacitorC1 is connected to Vs.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2C, which shows another example currentflow for another particular switching configuration of switching circuit200, with switches S2 and S3 closed and the other switches S1 and S4open, according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed linesindicate the current flow. Closing switch S2 electrically connects theterminal common between capacitors C1 and C2 to terminal Vs+, andclosing switch S3 electrically connects the terminal common betweencapacitors C2 and C3 to terminal Vs−, so the voltage of capacitor C2 isconnected to Vo.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2D, which shows another example currentflow for a particular switching configuration of switching circuit 200,with switch S4 closed and the other switches S1-S3 open, according toillustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed lines indicate thecurrent flow. Closing switch S4 electrically connects terminal Vi− toterminal Vs−, and a current loop is created from the terminal commonbetween capacitors C2 and C3 to terminal Vs+, so the voltage ofcapacitor C3 is connected to Vo.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2E, which shows another example currentflow for a particular switching configuration of switching circuit 200,with switches S1 and S3 closed and the other switches S2 and S4 open,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed linesindicate the current flow. Closing switch S1 electrically connectsterminal Vi+ to terminal Vs+, and closing switch S3 electricallyconnects the terminal common between C2 and C3 to terminal Vs−. The sumof the voltages of capacitors C1 and C2 connected in series provides theoutput voltage Vs of switching circuit 200. Where impedance Z is notused, voltage Vs of switching circuit 200 is voltage Vs provided onterminals Vs+ and terminal Vs−.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2F, which shows another example currentflow for a particular switching configuration of switching circuit 200,with switches S2 and S4 closed and the other switches S1 and S3 open,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed linesindicate the current flow. Closing switch S2 electrically connects theterminal common between capacitors C1 and C2 to terminal Vs+, andclosing switch S4 electrically connects terminal Vi-terminal terminalVi− to terminal Vs−, so the voltage of capacitors C2 and C3 in series isconnected to Vo.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2G, which shows another example currentflow for a particular switching configuration of switching circuit 200,with switches S1 and S4 closed and the other switches S2 and S3 open,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed linesindicate the current flow. Closing switch S1 electrically connectsterminal Vi+ to terminal Vs+, and closing switch S4 electricallyconnects terminal Vi− to terminal Vs−, so that voltage Vi is connectedto Vo.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3A, which shows an illustrative circuitdiagram of an example switching circuit 310 for balancing capacitors,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Switching circuit310 may be an example implementation of switching circuit 110 of FIG. 1. Capacitors Csys1 and Csys2 (which may be an example implementation ofcapacitors C1-Cn, where n=2, in FIG. 1 ), may be balanced capacitorsconnected in series across two terminals of an input voltage Vi, where aconnection point CNT between the two capacitors may be a neutral pointterminal, a mid-point voltage, a mid-voltage, a DC link voltage, and/orthe like. The anode of diode D1 may be connected to CNT and the cathodeis coupled to a positive terminal of an output voltage denoted Vo(denoted terminal Vs+), optionally through an impedance Z. Whileimpedance Z may not be present in a particular circuit, where is itpresent, the impedance Z may be, for example, one or more componentssuch as one or more resistors, inductors, capacitors, thermistors,resonant circuits, and/or the like. The cathode of diode D4 may beconnected to CNT, and the anode of diode D4 may be connected to thenegative terminal Vs− of the output voltage. A cathode of diode D3 maybe connected to terminal Vs+ and to the cathode of diode D1, and ananode of D2 may be connected to terminal Vs− and to the anode of diodeD4. An anode of diode D3 may be connected to the cathode of D2 at aswitch neutral terminal (SNT). A first terminal (such as a sourceterminal, when switch S1 is a MOSFET) of switch S1 may be connected toSNT and a second terminal (such as a drain terminal) of Si may beconnected to terminal Vi+. A first terminal (such as a source terminalwhen switch S2 is a MOSFET) of switch S2 is connected to terminal Vi−and a second terminal (such as a drain terminal) of S2 may be connectedto SNT and the first terminal of S1. An output capacitor Cs (such as aholdup capacitor) may be connected between the terminals of the outputvoltage (such as between terminals Vs+ and Vs−).

Reference is now made to FIG. 3B, which shows an example current flow incircuit 310, in which S1 is closed and S2 is open, according toillustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed lines indicate thecurrent flow. Switches S1 and S2 may alternately connect between theterminals of one of the two balanced capacitors (which may each be acapacitor bank) Csys1 and Csys2 and the output voltage terminals, with ashort dead time to inhibit a shoot-through current condition. Forexample, the dead time, such as a time when both of S1 and S2 are open,may be between 0.001 seconds and 1 second. A shoot-through currentcondition may occur when S1 and S2 are both closed, creating a shortcircuit condition. When S1 closes, the capacitors Csys1 voltage may bediverted through diode D3 and impedance Z to the output capacitor Cs.The impedance Z (like any of the other components described herein) isoptional, and may reduce switching stresses and may increase noisefiltration. When S1 opens for a short duration, Cs may be charged to thevoltage of Csys1. In a balanced capacitor inverter design, such as atwo-capacitor NPC inverter or the like (such as in FIGS. 3A-3C), eachcapacitor Csys1 and Csys2 voltage may be about half of the total DCinput potential (such as about half of the difference between Vi+ andVi−) when the balanced condition exists.

From when S1 opens until S2 closes, the energy from capacitor Cssupplies the output voltage terminals Vs+ and Vs− with current tosupport the power consumption of a load connected across VS+ and Vs−,with a voltage of substantially half of the input voltage. For example,the maximum ripple voltage across Cs may be dictated by the capacitancevalue of capacitor Cs, the output power, the control dead time and theswitching frequency. A low switching frequency allows reduced losses,reduced electromagnetic interference, and/or the like. When impedance Zis used in the switching circuit, diodes D2 and D3 may be forward-biasedand may maintain the current through Z during the dead time. A differentimpedance element may be used instead of Z (resistor R, capacitor C,inductor L, NTC, L+R, L+NTC or other combinations). Resistive elementsare generally of lower cost and footprint and have the benefit of simpleway to limit the inrush currents at the initial start of the switchingcircuit when Cs voltage starts to ramp from zero voltage.

The switching circuit may use as switching components various types ofswitches, such as a field-effect transistor (FET), ametal-oxide-semiconductor FET (MOSFET), an insulated-gate bipolartransistor (IGBT), a bipolar transistor, a power transistor, asolid-state relay, an electromechanical relay, and/or the like. Thediodes of a switching circuit may be replaced with switches(e.g.transistors such as MOSFETs) and/or the like. The capacitors C1-Cnconnected in series across the input voltage may comprise twocapacitors, three capacitors, four capacitors, or more. The examplesherein show the configuration when various numbers (such as two, three,or more) balanced capacitors are used in series across the inputvoltage, and the switching circuit 110 may be configured to switchbetween these one, two, or more of the input capacitors to the output.Other components, such as an output capacitor, an inductor, a resistor,and/or the like, may be needed, or not depending on the specificrequirements of the applications and/or design. For example, the inputvoltage may have three balanced capacitors in series, and the switchingcircuit alternately connects any two of the input capacitors to theoutput. For example, the input voltage may have three balancedcapacitors in series, and the switching circuit alternately connects oneof the input capacitors to the output. As used herein, the term “gate”refers to a control terminal of a switch, such as but not limited to agate of a MOSFET, a base of a bipolar junction transistor, or a controlterminal of a relay. The use of the term “gate” is not intended to limitthe technical solution to any particular type of switch. Thus, any ofthe switch controllers discussed herein may also be considered gatecontrollers where they control the gates of the switches.

The switching circuit 110 may have the benefit of using open loopcontrol for the switching instead of a dedicated closed loop controlprocessor-controlled circuit. The open loop topology may decreasecomplexity of the switching circuit 110, and may avoid using metal-oxidevaristors or voltage surge suppressors for controlling the switchingcircuit. Generally, these components may have relatively low powertransfer capabilities and low resulting efficiency when used in highpower circuits. The switching circuit 110 may use a low switchingfrequency, such as less than 100 kilohertz (kHz). For example, theswitching frequency may be less than 10 KHz, less than 1 KHz, less than100 hertz (Hz), less than 10 Hz, less than 1 Hz, less than 0.1 Hz, andthe like. For example, the switching circuit may be implemented usingtwo alternating square waves at a fixed frequency of 10 kilohertz (kHz)and a fixed duty cycle of 45% (45 microseconds). Each square wave maycontrol one switch, and a dead time of 10% (10 microseconds) may beapplied to the circuit switches to prevent a bypass mode orshoot-through current conditions.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3C, which shows an example current flow incircuit 310, in which switch S1 is open and switch S2 is closed,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed linesindicate current flow. When switch S2 is closed, current from capacitorCsys2 may flow to the output terminals through diodes D1 and D2.Capacitor Cs and the bridge diodes D1-D4 maintain the peak voltage ofthe capacitors Csys1 and Csys2. When a mismatch in voltage between thecapacitors Csys1 and Csys2 exceeds twice the diode forward voltage, theswitching circuit may perform voltage balancing (e.g. passively), aspower may be drawn from the capacitor Csys1 or Csys2 having the highervoltage until the mismatch is balanced (such as, until the voltageacross the capacitors Csys1 and Csys2 is substantially equal).

Reference is now made to FIG. 4A, which shows a circuit diagram of anexample switching circuit 400 for balancing capacitors, according toillustrative aspects of the disclosure. Switching circuit 400 may be anexample implementation of switching circuit 110 of FIG. 1 , and issimilar to switching circuit 310 (FIG. 3A) except that a third switch S3may be included. In power devices where the input voltage range isdynamic, the third switch S3 may be used to supply the input voltagedirectly to the output voltage.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4B, which shows an example current flow incircuit 400 with switches S1 and S3 closed and switch S2 open, accordingto illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed arrows indicatecurrent flow. Closing switch S3 together with switch S1 may connect thefull input voltage across both capacitors Csys1 and Csys2 to Cs, such asby connecting terminal Vi− to terminal Vs−. In this condition, switch S2may be kept off (open) to inhibit a shoot-through current condition.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4C, which shows a circuit diagram of anexample switching circuit 420 for balancing capacitors, according toillustrative aspects of the disclosure. Switching circuit 420 may be anexample implementation of switching circuit 110 of FIG. 1 , and issimilar to switching circuit 400 (FIG. 4A) except that third switch S3may be replaced with (or supplemented with) switch S4 as shown. SwitchS4 may be located between terminal Vi+ to terminal Vs+, thereby enablingconnecting the full input voltage Vi to Cs. A first configuration of theswitches in FIG. 4C may allow the alternating connection of one of thecapacitors to the output capacitor, and a second configuration of theswitches may allow connecting the full input voltage to the outputcapacitor. The first configuration may be used as desired, for examplewhen the input voltage is above a voltage threshold, such as 600 VDC.The second configuration may also be used as desired, for example, whenthe input voltage is below the threshold voltage.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5A, which shows a circuit diagram of anexample switching circuit 500 for balanced capacitor, according toillustrative aspects of the disclosure. Switching circuit 500 may be anexample implementation of switching circuit 110 of FIG. 1 . Switchingcircuit 500 may be implemented with a lower component count and mayoffer a control line that inhibits a shoot-through current possibilitywhen switches S1 and S2 close together. To draw input power from thebalanced capacitors (which may each be capacitor banks) Csys1 and/orCsys2 , switches S1 and S2 may be alternatingly switched between on andoff with a small dead time in between. Impedance Z may be included, suchas a coil, inductor, resistor, and/or the like. Diodes D1 and D2 maydirect the current to flow from capacitors Csys1 and/or Csys2, dependingon the configuration of the switches S1 and/or S2. When a regulatedvoltage output is specified for the switching circuit 500 (such as toavoid including a separate DC-DC converter), a switching controller Ctrlmay be included that senses the voltage difference between Vs⁺ and Vs⁻,and operates switches S1 and S2 so that the voltage difference isconstant and regulated. In an example where the switching circuit iscombined with a buck converter in this manner, impedance Z may be orotherwise include an inductor. Similarly, a transformer may be usedbetween Vs⁺ and Vs⁻ together with a diode as at Z*, where theseimpedance components are configured to provide a flyback convertercombined into the switching circuit 500. A flyback switching circuit mayuse a controller similar to Ctrl but configured for a flyback impedancearrangement Z*. In similar manner, impedance Z* and controller Ctr1 maybe configured for other types of converters combined into the switchingcircuit 500. Incorporating the converter into the switching circuit 500has multiple potential benefits, including potentially reducing thenumber, ratings, and/or size of components, potentially reduced heatrequirements, potentially higher density solutions, and/or the like.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5B, which shows an example current flow inswitching circuit 500 with switch S1 closed and switch S2 open,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed arrowsindicate current flow. When switch S1 closes and switch S2 is open, Csmay be charged through impedance Z and diode D2 to the potential ofCsys1 (minus the diode forward voltage). Impedance Z may assist inachieving lower switching stresses and better filtering.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5C, which shows an example current flow inswitching circuit 500 with switch S1 open and switch S2 closed,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Dashed linesindicate the current flow. When switch S2 closes and switch S1 is open,Cs may charge to the capacitor Csys2 potential through diode D1 andimpedance Z. During the dead time in between the ON (switch closed)intervals of S1 and S2, Cs may supply the current to Vaux, such asbetween Vs+ and Vs−. When impedance Z is incorporated in the circuit 500as an inductor, for example, the current of the inductor may freewheelthrough diodes D1 and D2. When a 1:1 input to output voltage ratio isdesired, for example, switches S1 and S2 may be closed together.

Besides a lower component count, the circuit 500 of FIGS. 5A and 5B mayalso provide a shorter (such as an almost zero) dead time between theswitching. When both switches S1 and S2 are closed, the result may be athat the full input voltage may be applied to capacitor Cs, thuspotentially preventing a shoot through condition.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6A, which shows, schematically, an examplepower device 600 and an example switching circuit 610 for dual auxiliarypower converters connected to a plurality of balanced serially-connectedcapacitors, according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. Similarto power device 100, power device 600 may accept an input voltage fromterminals Vi+ and Vi−, and may produce an output voltage Vout. Powerdevice 600 uses balanced capacitors C1-Cn (where n=2 in this example),and thus uses two balanced capacitors C1 and C2 in series with eachother, and a power converter 620 to convert the input voltage to Vout.Power converter 620 may comprise a capacitor balancing circuit 626, aplurality of power switches 622, a controller 624, and a plurality ofgate drivers 628. Controller 624 may operate using an axillary voltageVaux1 and gate drivers may operate using an auxiliary voltage Vaux2.Vaux1 may be supplied from a first auxiliary converter 611 and Vaux2 maybe supplied from a second auxiliary converter 612. Switching circuit 610may alternate auxiliary converters 611 and 622 betweenserially-connected capacitors (e.g., between capacitors C1 and C2) so asto prevent excessive drain of any of the capacitors. Similarly,auxiliary converters 611 and 612 may be incorporated into switchingcircuit 610 using a switching controller that senses Vaux1 and Vaux2 andthat controls the switches of switching circuit 610 to regulate constantoutput voltages Vaux1 and Vaux2. The switching converter circuit 614incorporates at least some of the components of the converters 611 and612 into switching circuit 610, thereby reducing components in thecombined solution. For example, a buck converter combined into switchingcircuit 610 may use a serial inductor, and an included switching gatecontroller may be configured to control the gates of switching circuit610 so that Vaux1 and Vaux2 are constant up to a maximum current. Powerdevice 600 may be another example of how power device 100 may beimplemented. Power converter 620 may be an example of power converter120. Switching circuit 610 may be, for example, any of thepreviously-described switching circuits 110, 200, 310, 400, or 500.Capacitor balancing circuit 626 may be, for example, capacitor balancingcircuit 126. Power switches 622 may be, for example, power switches 122.Controller 624 and/or gate drivers 628 may be, for example, switchcontroller 124.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6B, which shows a circuit diagram of anexample switching circuit for a plurality of balanced capacitors and aflyback converter, shown at the top (circuit diagram 630) withoutcombining and shown at the bottom (circuit diagram 640) with combining,according to illustrative aspects of the disclosure. The switchingcircuits in circuit diagrams 630 and 640 may be used as the switchingcircuit in any of the other drawings and examples provided in thepresent disclosure, including but not limited to any of switchingcircuits 110 and 610. Circuit diagram 630 includes an example switchingcircuit with controller/drivers 631 operating in an open loop switchingcontrol, such as a fixed frequency and duty cycle switching control. Theswitching circuit of circuit diagram 630 includes an output capacitor637 and switches 638. Subsequent to the switching circuit, a flybackconverter is provided for supplying a regulated output to a load 635.The flyback converter includes a feedback circuit 632, a controller 633,a driver 634, and a switch 636. The combined circuit diagram 640comprises a switching circuit and flyback converter for supplying aregulated output to a load 644, a feedback circuit 641 that monitors theoutput voltage, a controller 642 that determines a switching paradigm(such as a frequency, duty cycle, waveform, and/or the like), and adriver 643 that receives a signal based on the switching paradigm andoperates the switches in accordance with that signal. Combining theswitching circuit and flyback converter, as shown for example in thecircuit diagram 640, may involve configuration of the components andcircuits, but may save components overall as compared with the circuitdiagram 630, such as by allowing a switch (e.g., switch 636) and acapacitor (e.g., output capacitor 637) to be left out.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6C, which shows a circuit diagram 650 ofan example switching circuit for a plurality of balanced capacitorsintegrated with a buck converter, according to illustrative aspects ofthe disclosure. The switching circuit in circuit diagram 650 may be usedas the switching circuit in any of the other drawings and examplesprovided in the present disclosure, including but not limited to any ofswitching circuits 110 and 610. In a combined switching circuit and buckconverter for supplying a regulated output to a load 654, a feedbackcircuit 651 monitors the output voltage, a controller 652 determines aswitching paradigm (such as a frequency, duty cycle, waveform, or thelike), and a driver 653 receives a signal based on the switchingparadigm and operates the switches in accordance with the signal.Combining the switching circuit and flyback converter may involveconfiguration of the components and circuits, but may save componentsoverall, similar to combined flyback circuit of FIG. 6B.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 , which shows, schematically, an examplesystem 700 for power generation comprising an example switching circuit740 connected to converter 730 balanced capacitors 720, according toillustrative aspects of the disclosure. In this example, power device100 or power device 600 may be an inverter 710. Inverter 710 maycomprise switching circuit 740 (which may be, such as any of thepreviously-discussed switching circuits 110, 200, 310, 400, 500, 610,630, 640, or 650), balanced capacitors 720 (which may be, for example,the previously-discussed balanced capacitors C1-Cn), and converter 730(which may be, for example, power converter 120 or power converter 620)for converting power (such as DC power) from one or more solar panels701 using power optimizers 701A, and/or power (such as AC power) fromwind turbines 702 and/or the like, to DC and/or AC power at the outputof converter 730. The converted power output by converter 730 may beused, for example, for charging an electrical storage device 750 (suchas a battery, a compressed air electrical storage, a thermal electricalstorage, and/or the like), as AC power for feeding into an electricalgrid 760, and/or for any other purpose.

Here, as elsewhere in the specification and claims, ranges can becombined to form larger ranges, and any particular values described arenon-limiting examples.

For example, specific dimensions, specific materials, specific ranges,specific resistivities, specific voltages, specific shapes, and/or otherspecific properties and values disclosed herein are illustrative innature and are not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. The disclosure herein of particular values and particularranges of values for given parameters are not exclusive of other valuesand ranges of values that may be useful in one or more of the examplesdisclosed herein. Moreover, it is envisioned that any two particularvalues for a specific parameter stated herein may define the endpointsof a range of values that may be suitable for the given parameter (forexample, the disclosure of a first value and a second value for a givenparameter can be interpreted as disclosing that any value between thefirst and second values could also be employed for the given parameter).For example, if Parameter X is exemplified herein to have value A andalso exemplified to have value Z, it is envisioned that parameter X mayhave a range of values from about A to about Z. Similarly, it isenvisioned that disclosure of two or more ranges of values for aparameter (whether such ranges are nested, overlapping or distinct)subsume all possible combination of ranges for the value that might beclaimed using endpoints of the disclosed ranges. For example, ifparameter X is exemplified herein to have values in the range of 1-10,or 2-9, or 3-8, it is also envisioned that Parameter X may have otherranges of values including 1-9, 1-8, 1-3, 1-2, 2-10, 2-8, 2-3, 3-10, and3-9.

In the description of various illustrative features, reference is madeto the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in whichshow, by way of illustration, various features in which aspects of thedisclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other featuresmay be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made,without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Terms such as “multiple” as used in this disclosure indicate theproperty of having or involving several parts, elements, or members.

It may be noted that various connections are set forth between elementsherein. These connections are described in general and, unless specifiedotherwise, may be direct or indirect; this specification is not intendedto be limiting in this respect, and whenever a connection is described,both direct and indirect connections are envisioned. Further, elementsof one feature in any of the examples may be combined with elements fromother features in any of the examples, in any combinations orsub-combinations.

As used herein, a discussion of two elements being connected or coupledtogether is intended to include direct electrical connection, and alsoindirect electrical connection in which one or more intervening elements(such as but not limited to a diode, resistor, and/or fuse) may bedisposed in the electrical path connecting the two elements.

1. A power device comprising: a plurality of capacitors connected inseries with each other, configured to be connected in parallel with adirect current (DC) power source, and comprising a plurality ofterminals; and a converter comprising: at least three input conductorseach directly connected to a respective one of the terminals of one ofthe plurality of capacitors; and at least two output conductorsconfigured to provide an output voltage; and a switching circuitconnected between the at least three input conductors and the at leasttwo output conductors, wherein the switching circuit comprises at leasttwo diodes or at least two switches, and wherein the at least two diodesor the at least two switches are configured to direct a current from atleast one of the plurality of capacitors to the at least two outputconductors, wherein the converter is configured to: operate theswitching circuit; generate the output voltage based on voltages acrossthe plurality of capacitors; and passively balance the voltages acrossthe plurality of capacitors using an open loop control, wherein the openloop control comprises a fixed frequency and a fixed duty cycle.
 2. Thepower device of claim 1, wherein the converter is configured to operatethe switching circuit at a frequency of less than 10,000 hertz.
 3. Thepower device of claim 1, wherein the at least two diodes or the at leasttwo switches are configured to electrically connect, in turn, each ofthe plurality of capacitors to the at least two output conductors. 4.The power device of claim 1, wherein the at least three input conductorscomprise a low voltage conductor, a high voltage conductor, and amid-voltage conductor.
 5. The power device of claim 1, wherein the atleast two diodes or the at least two switches comprise the at least twodiodes and the at least two switches, wherein the at least two diodescomprise: a first diode; and a second diode; wherein the at least twoswitches comprise: a first switch; and a second switch, wherein the atleast three input conductors comprise: a low-voltage conductor of theplurality of capacitors; a mid-voltage conductor of the plurality ofcapacitors; and a high-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors,and wherein: a source terminal of the first switch is connected to thelow-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors, an anode terminalof the first diode is connected to a drain terminal of the first switch,a cathode terminal of the first diode and an anode terminal of thesecond diode are connected to the mid-voltage conductor of the pluralityof capacitors, a cathode terminal of the second diode is connected to asource terminal of the second switch, and a drain terminal of the secondswitch is connected to the high-voltage conductor of the plurality ofcapacitors.
 6. The power device of claim 1, wherein the at least twodiodes or the at least two switches comprise the at least two diodes andthe at least two switches, wherein the at least two diodes comprise adiode bridge comprising an anode terminal, a cathode terminal, a firstalternating current terminal, and a second alternating current terminal,wherein the at least two switches comprise: a first switch; and a secondswitch, wherein the at least two output conductors comprise: alow-voltage output conductor; and a high-voltage output conductor,wherein the at least three input conductors comprise: a low-voltageconductor of the plurality of capacitors; a mid-voltage conductor of theplurality of capacitors; and a high-voltage conductor of the pluralityof capacitors, and wherein: a source terminal of the first switch isconnected to the low-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors,the cathode terminal of the diode bridge is connected to thehigh-voltage output conductor, the anode terminal of the diode bridge isconnected to the low-voltage output conductor, a drain terminal of thefirst switch is connected to the source terminal of the second switchand the first alternating current terminal of the diode bridge, thesecond alternating current terminal of the diode bridge is connected tothe mid-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors, and a drainterminal of the second switch is connected to the high-voltage conductorof the plurality of capacitors.
 7. The power device of claim 1, whereinthe switching circuit is configured to switch the terminals of theplurality of capacitors between a plurality of DC to DC power supplies,each of the DC to DC power supplies configured to provide a voltage anda current to a second converter, and wherein the switching circuit isconfigured to preserve a balance amongst the voltages across theplurality of capacitors.
 8. The power device of claim 1, wherein theplurality of capacitors comprises three capacitors, the at least threeinput conductors comprise four input conductors, and the switchingcircuit comprises four diodes and four switches.
 9. The power device ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of capacitors comprises a plurality ofDC-link capacitors.
 10. The power device of claim 1, wherein each of theplurality of capacitors comprises a capacitor bank.
 11. A methodcomprising: generating, by a converter that comprises at least threeinput conductors each directly connected to a respective terminal of oneof a plurality of capacitors connected in series, an output voltageacross at least two output conductors and based on the voltages acrossthe plurality of capacitors; and passively balancing, by the converter,the voltages across the plurality of capacitors using an open loopcontrol of a switching circuit connected between the at least threeinput conductors and the at least two output conductors, wherein theopen loop control comprises a fixed frequency and a fixed duty cycle,and wherein passively balancing the voltages across the plurality ofcapacitors comprises controlling at least two diodes of the switchingcircuit or at least two switches of the switching circuit to direct acurrent from at least one of the plurality of capacitors to the at leasttwo output conductors.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein using theopen loop control comprises electrically connecting, in turn, each ofthe plurality of capacitors to the output voltage using the at least twoswitches.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electricallyconnecting in turn is performed at a frequency of less than 10,000hertz.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the electrically connectingin turn is performed at a frequency of less than 1,000 hertz.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the at least three input conductorscomprises a low voltage conductor, a high voltage conductor, and amid-voltage conductor.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the pluralityof capacitors comprises three capacitors, the at least three inputconductors comprise four input conductors, and the switching circuitcomprises four diodes and four switches.
 17. The method of claim 11,wherein the plurality of capacitors comprises a plurality of DC-linkcapacitors.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality ofcapacitors comprises a capacitor bank.
 19. The method of claim 11,wherein the at least two diodes or the at least two switches comprisethe at least two diodes and the at least two switches, wherein the atleast two diodes comprise: a first diode; and a second diode, whereinthe at least two switches comprise: a first switch; and a second switch,wherein the at least three input conductors comprise: a low-voltageconductor of the plurality of capacitors; a mid-voltage conductor of theplurality of capacitors; and a high-voltage conductor of the pluralityof capacitors, and wherein: a source terminal of the first switch isconnected to the low-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors,an anode terminal of the first diode is connected to a drain terminal ofthe first switch, a cathode terminal of the first diode and an anodeterminal of the second diode are connected to the mid-voltage conductorof the plurality of capacitors, a cathode terminal of the second diodeis connected to a source terminal of the second switch, and a drainterminal of the second switch is connected to the high-voltage conductorof the plurality of capacitors.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein theat least two diodes or the at least two switches comprise the at leasttwo diodes and the at least two switches, wherein the at least twodiodes comprise a diode bridge comprising an anode terminal, a cathodeterminal, a first alternating current terminal, and a second alternatingcurrent terminal, wherein the at least two switches comprise: a firstswitch; and a second switch, wherein the at least two output conductorscomprise: a low-voltage output conductor; and a high-voltage outputconductor, wherein the at least three input conductors comprise: alow-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors; a mid-voltageconductor of the plurality of capacitors; and a high-voltage conductorof the plurality of capacitors, and wherein: a source terminal of thefirst switch is connected to the low-voltage conductor of the pluralityof capacitors, the cathode terminal of the diode bridge is connected tothe high-voltage output conductor, the anode terminal of the diodebridge is connected to the low-voltage output conductor, a drainterminal of the first switch is connected to the source terminal of thesecond switch and the first alternating current terminal of the diodebridge, the second alternating current terminal of the diode bridge isconnected to the mid-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors,and a drain terminal of the second switch is connected to thehigh-voltage conductor of the plurality of capacitors.